As Japan celebrates its anniversary for the original Pokémon Stadium, we celebrate the Nintendo 64 title that took our childhood and the world by storm! Today let’s celebrate the best moments of Pokémon Stadium.
When did Pokémon Stadium come out?
The Japan-exclusive Pokémon Stadium launched on 1st August 1998 with a limited roster of gen 1 critters. The expanded experience ended up being Japan’s Pokémon Stadium 2 and Pokémon Stadium outside Japan.
The Best Moments of Pokémon Stadium
Pokemon literally took on a whole new dimension from the Game Boy to the small screen through the marvels of transfer technology! From the minigames that have us reminiscing decades later, to the route through the Gym Leader Castle – come and bask in Pokémon nostalgia with us! Let’s look at the best moments of Pokémon Stadium.
Bringing your Pokémon team to life in Pokémon Stadium
When we spent years hunched over on our Game Boy, raising our pixelated friends, and watching them evolve (quite literally) alongside us, the transition to glorious 3D in Pokémon Stadium felt like science fiction!
It wasn’t just a 3D model, it was ours! The Pokémon who had been by our side through thick and thin were now animated in a whole new way – along with their poses and attacks – through a Transfer Pak. This unique moment in gaming that I always treasure. Especially seeing my beloved Sandslash from Pokémon Blue leap into the sprawling colourful world of Stadium.
Each Pokémon was crafted with love, showing a new side to their character through their idle pose, attacks and even their defeated animations! Seeing our teams come to life in 3D is definitely one of the best moments of Pokémon Stadium.
The Pokémon Stadium Announcer
You can’t play Pokémon Stadium without the announcer booming away! Ted Lewis’ voice became iconic, known for the classic lines “It’s the one hit wonder!” or “What’s the matter, trainer?”. Perfect for that stressful period of overthinking potential moves. The voice lines brought so much energy to fights! The excitement with which Ted would announce each Pokémon’s entrance and exit is one of the best moments of Pokémon Stadium.
Delightfully Charming Pokémon Stadium Minigames
Pokémon Stadium was a lot more than the typical Pokémon battles! The mini-games are definitely one of the best moments of Pokémon Stadium that many fans look on with a lot of love.
From eating the most expensive sushi as a Licktiung to following the dance steps marked out by a bespectacled Clefairy, the minigames provided light relief. Especially during those intense, competitive battles against your friends or CPU! Up the anté by setting it to a certain number of wins or just a free play session to relax.
4 Player Pokémon Battles
Before Pokémon Stadium, the only way to battle Pokémon multiplayer was to use a link cable and two Game Boy. Trainers would peer at a tiny screen, waiting for the attacks to come through. With Pokémon Stadium, you could play up to 4 players (in teams or against the CPU) along with the vibrant colours, the roar of the crowd and the hype of the announcer!
“Free Battle” allowed you to play in a lush verdant stadium and led to many a tense moment! I always remember, when picking Pokémon, the other party would turn away to avoid cheating! These battle memories definitely form some of the best moments of Pokémon Stadium.
Classic Pokémon Games on the Big Screen
With Pokémon Stadium there was now a way of playing your beloved Game Boy cartridges on the big screen! Seeing you and your Pokémon fight and travel on the TV – where you could really lie down and relax – is something we really take for granted nowadays.
The incredible Pokémon Stadium soundtrack
The music of Pokémon Stadium can’t be ignored either! With its mix of snappy arrangements that we know and love from gen 1 to some cracking originals with that N64 font, you can’t go wrong with the whole experience!
The sheer amount of content in Pokémon Stadium
It’s worth saying that it’s hard to 100% Pokémon Stadium!
There are a multitude of tournament cups with different limits, trainers, and Pokémon. Many of the categories have subcategories of their own, not to mention the Gym Leader castle! There may even be a special surprise once you’ve beaten them all…
Overall, Pokémon Stadium is an absolute classic for the N64 that has aged spectacularly well! It’s great to pick up and revisit on the Nintendo Switch.
Exclusive Retro Pokemon Gear
Love the Pokemon series? We’ve got unique retro fan merch based on those epic moments we all love! Shop Pokemon Gear
